Perplexity opens its Personal Computer app to all Mac users

In short: Perplexity says its Personal Computer desktop app is now available to all Mac users.

What happened

Perplexity announced that its Personal Computer app, a tool that uses AI “agents” (software helpers that can carry out tasks for you), is now open to anyone using a Mac. Previously, it was limited to Perplexity Max subscribers and people on a waitlist.

The company says the app is meant to bring these AI helpers onto your own computer. In practical terms, that means the tool can work with your local files and Mac apps, and it can also use the web to complete multi step tasks. Think of it like a very fast assistant that can switch between apps for you, such as pulling notes from one app and drafting a document in another.

Perplexity says the app can connect to more than 400 other tools and services through “connectors” (pre made links that let one app talk to another). If you also use Perplexity’s Comet browser, the company says the agent can use some web tools even without a direct connector.

Perplexity also said its older Mac app will be phased out in the next few weeks so the company can focus on the new Personal Computer app. For now, the app is only available as a direct download, and it is not in Apple’s Mac App Store.

Why it matters

Tools that can access your files and apps can save time, but they can also raise safety and privacy questions because they need broad access to do their job. Perplexity positions its approach as safer than some earlier agent tools, but regular users should still pay attention to what permissions the app requests and what data it can reach.

Source: TechCrunch AI